Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-14


of establishment is that he WAS not long
ago dethroned.
SYNDICATE LANDL ORDESM.
The American people have read with
mingled feelings of horror and disgust OF
the sufferings Of the victims of Irish land
Iordism IS portrayed by the press and the
rostrum; they have sympathized with the
unfortunate Skye crofters in their terrible
struggle for existence and heroic fight
against being driven from the face Of the
earth, all the while feeling safe that such
monstrous injustice and cruel barbsrities
could never obtain g foothold upon
American soil. Party platforms and po-
litical speakers have set forth, in words
of laundering sound, our detestation OF
these expressions, while at the same time
we have been breeding q system Of land
lord;sm in our midst which, il permitted
to grow and spread, will be tenfold more
pernicious than anything that disgrsces
our trans Atlantic friends. European
lsndIordism is cruel enough and brutal
enough in all conscience. yet, in the very
nature of things, it is not as bad as the
American system. The landed estates on
the other side of the ocean are at least
| held by men who are made of flesh and
blood, and who have at times human feel
| ings and human charity. When the
European landlord tramples upon the
rights OF q tenant he is ssssil-
| ing the rights of his own countrYmen
and his excuses are restrained by sense
of patriotism or at least local pride. Not
so in America. We have the foreign
landholder here not in the flesh, but in
the soulless syndicate. There is nothing
in common between it and the people;
there are no restraints thrown around its
acts of extortion; no protection against
it's avarice; no human feelings to soften
the severity of its cruelty. 1t is here in
strange land combining the worse tes-
lures of European lsnolordism with the
worse features of cold, pulseless Amsri-
can monopoly. Individual ownership OF
| vast tracts Of farming lands, such as the
estate of Mr.. Scully, the Irish gentle
man(?) is bad enough. Absorbing, as
he does, the increase annually, and re-
moving it from the country, has left the
| whitening blight of absentee lsndlordism on
! his possessions which stands out in sorry
contrast with the lands Of citizen owners,
but he has confined himself SO far to legal
extortion and the enjoyment OF that
vicious system which first enabled him to
obtain control Of these vast tracts. The
syndicate has gone farther. It has pur-
chased from the railroads thousands Of
acres obtained from the government
through the prodigality and corruption OF
Republican legislation, and proceeded at
once to GUST those pioneer settlers who
had, in good faith, located upon the lands
and erected modest homes for their
families. The methods adopted to
eject the people Of America from
their American homes upon Ameri-
can lands, are truly British and are
described by correspondent thus: "A
British syndicate which is said to have
purchased large tract of land in lows
from the McGregor and Western Rail
road Is mercilessly evicting the settlers,
the title to the land being in dispute in
the state courts. A settler writes that
women over sixty years OF age, sick in
bed, have been taken by six men and car
ried out in driving storm. Delicate wo-
men have had their hands tied with cords
until the flesh was bruised and then
dragged, shrieking, from their homes
Children have been born prematurely al
the sight Of the band OF evictors. Strong
men have been run down by rufians on
horseback and then hand-cuffed and
driven from their little possessions.
might 60 and multiply instances where
the sheriff with writ of ejeetment. in
one hand and the British contract ID the
other, gave these poor people thsachcice
between these two evils which
they would take" The poor ESTHER aas
perhaps expended his aim the bufdfna
OF home and the msinteserce Of M'
family. He is not sbg tedghs legal bst
ties with these moniA p9werss md they
taking advantage of1isweskness, resor'
to atrocities which would scandalize
Comsnche Indian, TO secure possession OF
his premises. The humble aqustter has
his case in court where the title to his
land is in dispute, but the syndicate cares
little for that. It means To have posses.
sion first, and the decision OF the Law
i courts afterwards. It is surely high time
that the government should step in ane
protect our citizens. This may be an ex-
Iceptionsl instance, but others win fol
How. How many "syndicstes" were
foiled when Secretary Lamar, by stroke